ITV

Category: GECs

  • Zee Cafe hosts the best of Indian cinema for a riveting conversation

    Zee Cafe hosts the best of Indian cinema for a riveting conversation

    MUMBAI: Cleverly tailored narratives retold through the lens of avid film-makers bring to you unexpected joys this December. Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films, short films platforms in India, recently hosted some of the greatest minds from the world of films for an engaging conversation on the evolving world of cinema. This association which has been developed by Wavemaker India for Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films brings to you a line-up of untold masterpieces, beautifully depicted in a unique format and fashion. Step into a world of cinematic brilliance for a quality we-time experience every Saturday starting 19 December 2020, 8:30 pm onwards on Zee Cafe.

    Moderating this interesting segment, Mandira Bedi sets the right tone bringing together celebrated actors like Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Manoj Bajpayee, Samantha Akkineni, Sayani Gupta, Divya Dutta, Shweta Basu Prasad, Tisca Chopra, Niranjan Iyengar and many more to share their school of thought on progressive cinema through the ages. The panellist of actors had much to discuss on how Indian cinema has come a long way in stretching its arm further into a global pool of artists and imbibing foreign film culture. The property will also air on the same day at 11 pm on &Pictures and stream on Zee5.

    Original short films By India's finest directors as well as films made by young, aspiring directors make Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films, the most celebrated and credible short films platform in the country. and most recognised for showcasing such mesmerising stories. The platform has collaborated with successful storytellers from the world of cinema who truly stand for originality and excellence. It has created an ecosystem and with a slew of powerful films and is the perfect stage that provides a canvas for directors and actors to tell compelling stories within 15-20 minutes.

    Zeel chief growth officer Ashish Sehgal said, “Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films has been an evolving chapter in a demanding space for impactful storytelling. It’s a belief beyond wonders to see what can be accomplished in just 15-20 minutes of screen space. Over the years, our discerning viewers on Zee Cafe have truly appreciated the nuanced storytelling and the stirring discussion by acclaimed artists from Indian cinema. With this being the third year of our association with Pernod Ricard India, we are delighted to offer talented filmmakers a wider reach with Zee Cafe and &Pictures along with Zee5. Given its unique and enriching format, the property delivers immense value to even our brand partners who see it as an innovative platform to engage with an enthused audience. With a promising line-up this year, we are certain that the inspiring debate on cinema will truly enthral our audiences across Zee.”

    Pernod Ricard India CMO Kartik Mohindra said, “Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films has revolutionized the short film format in India and has redefined the movie-watching experience. The testament to its wide popularity and success is the overwhelming response to each of our releases as well as industry recognition awarded to our ground-breaking and category-defining films. We are delighted to leverage the power of this platform and associate with incredible story tellers, who, like the brand, personify thespirit of pursuit of excellence. As the short film genre grows, our endeavour is to bring these powerful stories and their creators to the forefront for the most diverse entertainment experience for our consumers.”

    Wavemaker chief content officer Karthik Nagarajan said, “What simply began as an experimental design has culminated into a world of desirable content which now plays a bigger part on a global scale. It has been an absolute pleasure working with Zee in conceptualizing and amplifying the shared endeavour and we look forward to scaling new heights this year with the exciting new line-up of offerings. The Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films has produced some of the finest quality films building on the notion that there is always a growing space to inculcate newer practices sending the right message to a younger generation of budding film makers. We at Wavemaker and GroupM are delighted to continue our long-standing partnership and we are certain to scale newer heights this year with a promising line-up of compelling short features.”

    The property will also air on &Pictures and &Pictures HD on Saturdays at 11:00 pm.

  • Sony Pix establishes itself as the undisputed leader in the English movie category

    Sony Pix establishes itself as the undisputed leader in the English movie category

    MUMBAI: 2020 was a year of many firsts and Sony Pix took this opportunity to continue to innovate and grow backed by many programming and marketing initiatives. From premiering the biggest movies and introducing new programming IPs to being the first in the category to launch an AR filter game and an e-sports gaming event, Sony Pix has truly gone beyond the extraordinary this year and emerged as the most watched channel in India over the last quarter.

    This remarkable growth is reflective of the staggering viewership rise in the English movie category by 24 per cent, this year. Riding on its cluster of offerings, Sony Pix pushed the envelope further in audience engagement and scaled up to number one position in both SD and HD feed with 23 per cent and 29 per cent share in viewership, respectively, over the last 13 weeks average* along with being number one consistently for the last five weeks with 25 per cent share. Not just the leader, Sony Pix is also the fastest growing English movie channel in the category both in terms of viewership and reach in CY 2020 YTD, as compared to CY 2019. It has registered a 1.7x growth in viewership and 1.2x growth in reach for SD and a 2.4x growth in viewership and 1.5x growth in reach for HD. Sony PIX HD has also ensured the maximum reach in the English movie category, not just for the last 13 weeks but also for entire CY 2020 YTD.

    Sony PIX’s constant endeavor to put the consumer first coupled with a strong distribution network, strategic content line-up and robust marketing innovations has resulted in Sony Pix’s unparalleled performance and the perfect victory run to end 2020 on a sweet note.

    *Source: BARC, TG: 15-40 AB, Market: 10L+, Period: WK 36-48’20, Average Weekly AMA, English Movie Channels SD

    *Source: BARC, TG: 15-40 AB, Market: 10L+, Period: WK 36-48’20, Average Weekly AMA, English Movie Channels HD

    *Source: BARC, TG: 15-40 AB, Market: 10L+, Period: WK 44-48’20, Average Weekly AMA, English Movie Channels SD

    *Source: BARC, TG: 15-40 AB, Market: 10L+, Period: WK 1’19-48’20, Average Weekly AMA & Average Weekly Cumulative Reach, English Movie Channels SD

    *Source: BARC, TG: 15-40 AB, Market: 10L+, Period: WK 1’19-48’20, Average Weekly AMA & Average Weekly Cumulative Reach, English Movie Channels HD

    Sony Pictures Networks India English cluster business head Tushar Shah said “We thank the fans for showing their love for Sony PIX and making it the most watched English movie channel in the category. We are glad that Sony PIX provided some great entertainment to our fans during a challenging year like 2020 and look forward to providing more amazement in the new year”.

  • &TV presents the story of ‘Yeshu’, a first for a Hindi GEC

    &TV presents the story of ‘Yeshu’, a first for a Hindi GEC

    MUMBAI: To highlight the virtues of compassion, kindness, hope, love and forgiveness in these times of crisis, &TV will present the inspiring tale of Yeshu. &TV has bagged Priya Gold Lite Biscuits as sponsor.

    The show features a stellar cast — Vivaan Shah portrays the role of young Yeshu, Sonali Nikam is Mary, Aarya Dharmchand plays Joseph, Darpan Srivastava is King Herod and Rudra Soni as Herod Antipas, along with others. Produced by Arvind Babbal Productions, the serial will premiere on 22 December at 8 pm on &TV and will air every Monday to Friday. 

    Yeshu is the story of an exceptionally benevolent child who only wants to do good and spread happiness all around him. His love and compassion for all is a stark contrast to the dark, evil forces prevalent during his lifetime. Witnessing the various atrocities on his family and in society has a deep impact on him. His attempt to help others and ease their pain often leads to situations where he inevitably ends up being hurt and condemned, by not just the oppressors, but also people at large. But even that does not stop Yeshu from continuing on his path. 

    Born in a cowshed, Yeshu, in his growing up years, has profound knowledge and understanding of spirituality and religion, which shapes his core beliefs of love, compassion, forgiveness and peace. While he is blessed with miraculous powers, he is unaware of them. Through his childhood, Yeshu is nurtured and guided towards his life purpose by his mother. 

    &TV business head Vishnu Shankar said, “We have always been successful in presenting interesting and unique characters like Bhabiji, Daroga Happu Singh, Gudiya and most recently, the father of the Indian Constitution, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. Today we are ready to launch yet another remarkable show titled Yeshu. While it is one of the most iconic stories, it is untold and unheard in the Hindi GEC space. This story is relevant for audiences across geographies and age groups and we are confident that Yeshu will resonate positively with all our viewers.” 

    Producer and series director Arvind Babbal said, "The ongoing pandemic has impacted everyone’s lives, leaving them distressed and helpless. Through Yeshu, our attempt is to spread compassion, happiness, and positivity in the minds of our viewers. It gives out a message of hope, selflessness, empathy, love, compassion, forgiveness, generosity, and kindness. These are all important human virtues. I am confident that viewers will be receptive to the show and I carry immense pride to present a show like Yeshu along with &TV in front of a very eager audience.”

  • ZEE Biskope celebrates its first anniversary with Bhojpuri DJ Night

    ZEE Biskope celebrates its first anniversary with Bhojpuri DJ Night

    New Delhi: Launched with a promise to be the one-stop, go-to destination for every Bhojpuri movie lover, Zee Biskope left no stones unturned in serving non-stop authentic Bhojpuri entertainment for its ardent viewers. Within a year, ZEE Biskope has been a game-changer in differentiation by continually curating viewer experience beyond just movies. Along with a stellar launch campaign, the brand has presented many category first initiatives including  blockbuster premieres, curated movie festivals and novel viewer engagement drives throughout the year. 

    Extending the legacy of novelty to its celebration of the first anniversary, the channel yet again gives its viewers an opportunity to live their Bhojpuriyat to its unabashed best with their latest campaign Birthday Lahariya– Jug Jug Jiya Ho Channelwa from December 10. The revelry doesn’t end here as the channel has also curated a special movie line-up and a Bhojpuri DJ Night for its audiences on the birthday – December 21.

    Birthday Lahariya, the week-long campaign will invite viewers to share videos of their creative birthday wishes for the channel on Whatsapp number 9169315016 between 10 – 17 December. Every 24 hours (AanthPahar), the channel will select one winner and the 8 winning videos will be featured on ZEE Biskope on 21 December. Winners will also receive the exclusive ZEE Biskope Anniversary Edition gift box. The engagement will further extend on social media where selected few from the top fans of ZEE Biskope’s Facebook page will be invited for an exclusive virtual Birthday Meet with a popular Bhojiwood celebrity.

    Bringing in a hyperbolic dose of entertainment on its birthday, the channel will showcase a specially curated movie line-up Rishto Ka Safar featuring 4 blockbuster movies throughout the day. The morning band at 9 am will showcase Jaan Lebu Ka Ho featuring Pawan Singh and Monalisa followed by comedy king Manoj Tiger and Amrapali Dubey’s recent superhit Lagal Raha Batasha at 12 noon. The entertainment ride will continue with Parvarish featuring Yash Kumar, Amrapali Dubey and Ritesh Pandey at 3 pm and popular couple Nirahua& Amrapali Dubey’s blockbuster Nirahua Hindustani 3 in the prime time at 6 pm. Just when you think that’s the end for the day, the rollercoaster of authentic Bhojpuri entertainment will take a never-seen before turn. 

    ZEE Biskope will host a Birthday Party with a 30-minute Bhojpuri DJ Night featuring DJ Vee at 9 pm that will make viewers groove with peppy Bhojpuri dance mixes mashed up with movie song visuals. While the DJ Night will get over on TV, it will continue on ZEE Biskope’s Facebook& Instagram pages between 9:30 – 10:30 pm.

    On the occasion,  ZEE Entertainment Enterprises  Cluster Head East Samrat Ghosh said, “ZEE Biskope’s journey to success has been exciting and exhilarating. It demonstrated strength in the Bhojpuri market by sharply deep diving into consumer centricity, upscaling in presentation of its curated content by bringing the Bhojpuriya soul to screen. Our idea is that in the Bhojpuri market, there is still a huge gap as to what you can curate for the viewers. ZEE Biskope’s vision ahead will hence be to remain very consumer-focused and a differentiator by offering curated movies, bands, and novel viewer engagement initiatives.” 

    ZEEL business head ZEE BISKOPE & BIG Ganga  Amarpreet Saini said, “ZEE Biskope’s journey in the last one year has been a narrative of category firsts. Right from the organizing the biggest ever Bhojpuri movie screening in Bihar to the topically curated movie festivals and the innovative viewer engagement drives, the channel has brought novelty to the category. Offering curated content in an otherwise commoditized market, ZEE Biskope has redefined and reshaped the category.The response we received from our viewers also evidences their affinity towards the brand. We are motivated to carry on the legacy of novelty and curation as a way forward for the brand to remain as the Ultimate Bhojpuri Entertainer.

    Touted as the go-to destination for Bhojpuri movies; Zee Biskope offers a slew of robust content spread across an array of genres highly popular amongst Bhojpuri audience, such as romance, drama, action and comedy. The channel is available on Airtel (channel no 663), Tata Sky (channel no 1120), DEN Bihar(channel no 840), DEN Jharkhand (channel no 839), DD Free Dish (channel no 31), d2h (channel no 859), Dish TV (channel no 1555), Siti Cable (channel no 214) and Darsh Digital (channel no 189). It’ll soon be available on all other major cable platforms.

  • KBC gears up for students special week starting 14 December

    KBC gears up for students special week starting 14 December

    MUMBAI: The upcoming week on Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) will welcome some of the brightest young minds from across the country, as they channelize their power of knowledge on the hot seat. It comes at a time when live online learning emerged as a key leveler of knowledge in these unprecedented times and helped kids continue learning engagingly. This students special week on KBC will see kids between the age group of 10-16 years take the hot seat by a storm! Will the audience get to witness a young crorepati?

    Facilitating this students special week, Vedantu, a popular Live online learning platform, conducted V Quiz- a live host quiz on its platform. Students who participated in this quiz, played consistently and maintained top scores, qualified to be featured on KBC. With a high level of participation and engagement, Vedantu witnessed a twofold increase in its daily active users and nearly five times increase in daily V quiz attendees. From amongst the ones who qualified, 8 students will be seen contesting for the hot seat and playing Kaun Banega Crorepati with  Amitabh Bachchan!

    As a platform, KBC has gone beyond its capacity as a show year after year, putting the common man at the forefront and celebrating human virtues of self-belief, patience, perseverance, courage, confidence, optimism and intelligence. This season has been no different with people from various walks of life who considered setbacks as a stepping stone for a greater comeback and won Big! In this season, KBC has witnessed three crorepatis already.

    Tune in to watch the students special week on Kaun Banega Crorepati from 14 to 17 December at 9:00pm only on Sony Entertainment Television

  • #Throwback2020: The year of reruns

    #Throwback2020: The year of reruns

    MUMBAI: Covid2019 was undoubtedly the biggest story of 2020, but it also gave new life to several well-loved stories of the past – more precisely, vintage TV shows. As productions came to a halt with the announcement of lockdowns, television broadcasters had to quickly come up with ways to fill up their time slots. As well as find ways to keep those at home engaged enough so as to not step out and possibly expose themselves to the novel Coronavirus.

    With no fresh episodes being churned out, successful TV shows went off air. TV programming executives started going through their back catalogue deciding what series and programmes to put on air once again. Doordarshan boss Shashi Shekhar Vempati took the high ground and made some audacious bets. He brought back the classics of the eighties – Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan and BR Chopra's Mahabharat.  The difference: unlike in the past when the episodes aired on Sunday mornings, Vempati put the two mythologicals on air every evening and in the afternoons. His decision worked like a charm.

    The Indian public, fearful of the havoc that Covid was wreaking on all and sundry, found solace in the two shows. The viewers swelled into millions and it seemed like all of India had connected with the story of a king and his exile and the victory of good over evil, and that of five brothers who fight adversity from their own family, go into exile only to come back and regain their rightful kingdom.

    Doordarshan regained its lost glory;  after nearly three decades of ceding ground to cable TV, it became India's most-watched channel again.

    In its heyday, the streets would be empty during showtime, and people formed queues outside shops to watch their favourite show on the pubcaster. Some people would even garland their TV sets in awe. In fact, the actors playing Ram and Sita would often be treated like  gods in public. The tables turned with the launch of satellite television in the mid-90s, and the explosive growth of private channels that followed.

    But bringing back Ramayan and other old favourites like Shaktiman and Buniyaad – created when DD monopolised TV broadcasting – forged an inexplicable and instantaneous connection with audiences. BARC has attributed the telecast of Ramayan and Mahabharat as the reason for DD’s climb to the top of the ratings chart. 

    Not only did Doordarshan succeed in chalking up record viewership, but it also generated online chatter – from memes to nostalgia posts from viewers. For many, it was a trip down memory lane.

    During an interaction, BARC India CEO Sunil Lulla remarked, “[Repeat telecasts of] Ramayan and Mahabharat, in my view, is a stellar move. It’s a nostalgia moment for people who are born in the 80’s. Because the entire family is sitting together with elders at home, it was the best thing to watch on TV. But shockingly, younger audiences were also watching the show. More of the urban audience, rather than rural, tuned in.”

    The buzz around these shows has led to an increased brand recall for Doordarshan. India’s iconic dairy brand Amul also went retro and re-released its old advertisements on the channel. 

    According to SEMrush (an online visibility management platform), ‘Ramayan’ became India's most searched term in the entertainment category in April 2020.

    Nielsen and BARC had reported that in the initial weeks of reruns, Ramayan episodes got 42.6 million tune-ins and garnered 6.9 billion viewing minutes on average.

    On 17 April, Prasar Bharati (the parent body of DD and All India Radio) announced in a tweet that Ramayan was the highest-watched entertainment programme globally, recording a viewership of 77 million. Even though the show attracted many advertisers, it irked viewers who wanted uninterrupted content. Some, bizarrely, even accused Doordarshan of streaming the show from a Moser Baer DVD.

     

     

    Certain sections of the public appealed to the government to curb the TV spots. In response, Vempati in a tweet said, "Would request everyone's patience with the advertisements. Brands reaching out to a large audience spurs consumption and economic activity at this critical juncture. Also, every rupee of commercial revenue to DD is a rupee of taxpayer money saved."  

     

     

    When I&B minister Prakash Javadekar posted a photo of himself watching Ramayan reruns during the lockdown, he was immediately panned for his “let them eat cake” moment while millions were struggling to make ends meet.

    But in the weeks that followed, public sentiment changed. Following the runaway success of the two shows, the state broadcaster went beyond mythological shows and tapped into its programming archive.  Buniyaad, Byomkesh Bakshi, Gora, Circus (starring a baby-faced Shah Rukh Khan), Shrikant (starring the late actor Irrfan Khan), Shaktimaan, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Shrimaan Shrimati, The Jungle Book, and more were back on telly – and viewers were hooked.

    Other broadcast networks followed suit. Viacom18-owned Hindi GEC Colors brought back shows such as Balika Vadhu, Jai Shri Krishna, Mahakali, Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush, Dance Deewane, Bigg Boss, Comedy Nights with Kapil, Sidharth Shukla-Rashami Desai-starrer love story Dil Se Dil Tak and comedy series Belan Wali Bahu.

    Zee TV played reruns of Jamai Raja, Pavitra Rishta, Jodha Akbar, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs 2017 and Hum Paanch, Kumkum Bhagya, Kundali Bhagya, Ram Kapoor's Kasam Se, and Brahmarakshas.

    The classic sitcom Office Office was being broadcast on Sony SAB and Star Plus’ Mahabharat and Siya Ke Ram were back on TV too.

    Star Sports started showing historic cricket matches like India’s 2011 World Cup win, India vs Pakistan series, previous editions of the IPL, Formula 1 races, football and kabbadi.

    The audience's retro romance continued for three months. Almost every channel saw spikes in viewership; sadly, advertisers stayed away as overall economic and consumer sentiment had sunk to a new low.

    Came end July and governments gave the go-ahead to productions to start again under strict operating procedures. Shoots commenced and viewers rejoiced that fresh programming was back. However, none regretted the joy that reruns gave them for the three months of the initial period of the lockdown.

  • Will non-fiction shows witness growth post IPL?

    Will non-fiction shows witness growth post IPL?

    MUMBAI: IPL 2020 was the first major live sporting event since the lockdown began. Despite a delayed start owing to the pandemic, it proved to be a respite for Indian audiences who were wilting on a diet of TV news and reruns. Not to mention that it gave a new lease on life to advertisers to once again build a connect with consumers and attain the pre-Covid reach levels. BARC reported that the 13th edition of the league, which has an estimated brand value of $6.8 billion drew record television and digital viewership. The IPL opener was viewed by 200 million plus audiences and a staggering 31.57 million watched the tournament, clocking a 23 per cent rise in eyeballs.

    This year, marquee non-fiction properties Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) season 12, Bigg Boss season 14, Fear Factor-Khatron Ke Khiladi, India’s Best Dancer, The Kapil Sharma Sharma, Super Dancer were launched while the IPL was underway. Indian Idol season 12 started after IPL ended. The upcoming non-fiction shows are Taare Zameen Par and Dance Deewane 3. While the league may have gone relatively unscathed in terms of sponsors and revenue (BCCI being cagey about financials notwithstanding), several media experts had pointed out that the overlap of the tournament with the festive season and audience shift to OTT platforms would impact the revenues of television networks.

    By the by, both shows managed to rope in a sizeable number of sponsors and partners (KBC – 10, Bigg Boss – 15). But they failed to make a splash in their opening week – BARC data reflects that none of them broke into the top five shows in the Hindi GEC category. However, the report also stated that Bigg Boss clocked 3.9 billion minutes in the same period, the highest in the last three seasons.

    BARC is yet to release data on how these shows have performed since they premiered this season.

    But the question remains that with IPL over, viewers of the non-fiction genre need the next big thing for their daily dose of entertainment. Will this quest for serotonin give a boost to the genre and viewership? 

    The industry is divided, where some believe that now the IPL is over, things will get better for non-fiction shows in terms of ratings and revenue. Others think that overall market sentiment is low with the festive season behind us. Revival will come, but not before January 2021.

    The Media Ant CEO and founder Samir Chaudhary said, “Both KBC and Bigg Boss have not performed as compared to last year. IPL definitely has a role to play, given that both shows launched during the tournament, which is an unusual scenario. Diwali was the peak season for all advertisers, but now overall ad volumes have gone down. The volume was driven a lot by automobile and e-commerce companies, and both have now come out of their peaks. We are expecting the volumes to come back by mid-December when the second round of sale comes up."

    He further qualified this by saying that since the IPL is over, the shows may see traction and gain a new set of advertisers by mid-December, but that remains to be seen.

    Wavemaker India managing partner Mansi Datta echoed the sentiment and added, “Post IPL (data for four days post IPL), these programs have seen an increase in viewership across different cohorts by 5-15 per cent. This indicates that the audience viewership movement is to be further expected across both genders/age groups. This would also hold the case as momentum for these episodes gain, the viewership will climb.”

    Traditionally, Dussehra-Diwali is the reaping period for TV networks as they launch big-ticket fiction and non-fiction properties, helping them attract advertisers. Estimates are that marketers signed checks to the tune of Rs 24,000 crore during the festival period last year. The pandemic and the lockdowns over the past six months have resulted in Indian advertising expenditure shrinking by as much as 39 per cent since. Soothsayers predict that 2019’s festive season ad-ex will not be breached this year.

    Elara Capital vice president Karan Taurani observed that both ratings and ad volumes of non-fiction shows have gone up but the issue is pricing. Viewership ratings have increased by 10 to 15 per cent but compared to last year the rates are still low. “From October to November, the TV advertising segment grew by 10 to 12 per cent. But post festivities, the entire media plan was put on hold based on how the market functions in terms of consumption pattern. The growth was not sustainable.”

    Taurani projects December to be slightly down in terms of advertising. “But hopefully, January and February will see some relief and the market will bounce back,” he added.

    In terms of ad volumes, both properties have brought in a lot of advertisers, in fact the difference in the total number of advertisers onboard with the IPL and Bigg Boss was just 10 per cent. Others emphasise that these programmes got new sponsors, even those that stayed away from IPL, and the inventory level is almost full.

    Havas Media buying national head R Venkatasubramanian pointed out that now advertisers have the option to choose between HD and SD platforms separately. Hence, the number of advertisers are more in both properties, a win-win for brands and channels.

    During the pandemic, the lines have blurred between primetime and non-primetime. Content consumption patterns have also changed. In an average household, while women and family audiences have been glued to fiction serials, young viewers have taken either to the IPL or to online content that is slowly attracting Hindi-speaking viewers.

    Omnicom Media Group chief investment officer Mamatha Morvankar shared that initial trends post the closure of IPL 2020 are certainly encouraging. Both KBC and Bigg Boss, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, have shown an uptick in TVRs. In the case of Bigg Boss, the increase was largely attributed to time spent by viewers, whereas for KBC the surge was both with regards to reach and time spent. KBC had its one crore winners in the weeks following IPL and that aspect would have had a positive impact on ratings.

    A media professional, on the condition of anonymity, mentioned that Bigg Boss – which is already on the verge of completing two months – is introducing new formats and twists to lure viewers. And while advertisers are coming on board, they’re doing so on discounted rates.

    But despite challenges, reality shows are slowly but steadily gaining the power to create an impact in the wake of IPL. Morvankar explained, “This is also showing in terms of the ad volumes. Both these reality programs are signing on new sponsors post the IPL 2020 season and going full-on their inventory. KBC has even gotten an extension of four weeks, now stretching to end in January, which should also extend the ratings momentum. These early signs are promising enough for us to anticipate that impact reality shows such as these are set to take the coming quarter by storm.”

    If reports are to be believed, the IPL has already eaten up a Rs 2,500-crore slice of the ad-ex pie. But some experts still hold that non-fiction shows are on a growth trajectory. It will be interesting to see if the genre will hit it out of the park in the coming months or if it’s samay samaapt for it.

  • &flix Presents the flix first premiere of the satirical comedy ‘Greed’

    &flix Presents the flix first premiere of the satirical comedy ‘Greed’

    MUMBAI: When extreme wealth and unchecked narcissism takes over, it’s only a downhill trip from there on. Here’s a story of a billionaire fashion magnate whose life turns topsy-turvy around the time of his glorious 60 birthday. Come Sunday, 13 December , at 1PM and 9PM, &flix, the destination of the biggest Hollywood hits presents a must-watch satire about the world of the super-rich with the Flix First Premiere of Greed. Amidst the glitz and the glam and all the razzmatazz of the runways, it’s one man’s reputation at stake. #LeapForth into a world where seven deadly sins threaten to destroy the riches that surround the ultimate fashion tycoon – Sir Richard McCreadie.

    Directed by the BAFTA Award-winning filmmaker Michael Winterbottom, the film brings a stellar ensemble cast featuring the academy award-nominee Steve Coogan, Isla Fisher (Confessions Of A Shopaholic), David Mitchell, and Asa Butterfield (Hugo). The movie will also premiere on 13 December at 2 PM on Zee Café and 3PM and 11PM PM on &PrivéHD.

    Greed tells the story of self-made British billionaire Sir Richard McCreadie (Steve Coogan), whose retail empire is in crisis. For 30 years he has ruled the world of retail fashion – bringing the high street to the catwalk and the catwalk to the high street. As fate would have it, after a damaging public inquiry, his image is tarnished. To save his reputation, he decides to bounce back with a highly publicized and extravagant party celebrating his sixtieth  birthday on the Greek island of Mykonos. A satire on the grotesque inequality of wealth in the fashion industry, the film sees McCreadie’s rise and fall through the eyes of his biographer, Nick.

    Witness one of the biggest fashion faux pas as in the Flix first premiere of Greed this Sunday 13 December at 1PM and 9PM, &flix, 2 PM on Zee Café and 3PM and 11PM PM on &PrivéHD

  • Zee Keralam delivers content that Malayali viewers aspire for: Santosh Nair

    Zee Keralam delivers content that Malayali viewers aspire for: Santosh Nair

    MUMBAI: Neithedukkam Jeevitha Vismayangal, which means ‘Let’s weave wonders in life’ is the brand promise of Zee Keralam, one of the most recent additions to ZeeL’s stable of channels. Since its launch in November 2018, the general entertainment channel (GEC) has been swiftly growing, achieving 13 per cent market share, along with 300+ GRPs in the Kerala urban market, more than 65 per cent of the total TV population. Speaking to its success with the Malayalam audience is its second-highest TSV of 146 minutes per week.

    Zee Keralam business head Santosh Nair remarked that the biggest takeaway he’s had in these two years is that good content is always well received and accepted. Said he: “Currently, our audience is looking for relatable stories with aspirational values. We try to mirror the heart and soul of every Malayali family. We did not consider ourselves at a disadvantage just because we were a brand-new channel, we looked into filling the gaps in the market for storylines that were different from existing ones, storylines that featured the true new Malayali family.” This approach worked well for the brand and helped it gain acceptance with its audiences.

     

     

    Kerala as a market is home to legacy channels that have been around for 25+ years with a strong and consistent viewership. The market is currently dominated by Star India's Asianet followed by Flowers TV, Mazhavil Manorama, Zee Keralam is at fourth spot followed by Surya, according to the BARC data for week 47 (Saturday 21 November, Friday 27 November 2020). 

    Zee Keralam’s initial challenge was to create a shift in the viewing patterns of the Malayali audience with differentiated content, positive storylines and a mixture of original and dubbed fictions, novel non-fiction shows on weekends and a decent movie library. The channel wanted to provide the audience with extraordinary content they hadn’t seen before.

    Within the span of two years, Zee Keralam is among the top five Malayalam channels. Nair shared that the channel’s focus on creating extremely solid storylines for its fiction shows has been a main contributing factor for its growth. The channel tries to make them as realistic, fresh and relatable as possible; and this has been well received by the audience. In addition to this, its non-fiction shows have generated a lot of hype and buzz in the market. The channel also has a decent movie library that completes the entertainment package. He mentioned, “Our original content hours are at par with our competitors. That has been one of the key factors behind the growth of Zee Keralam as a brand.” 

    Another major challenge, just like any other sector, has been the Covid2019 pandemic and lockdown. Nair detailed, “Even as we resumed shoots, we placed the safety of our cast and crew first which led to slower production timelines and output. But it was worth the risk since we wanted to ensure that we provided quality entertainment as well as adhere to all the safety protocols set by the government. Now as the world is slowly recovering, it’s heartening to see how we have pulled through this difficult phase together.” As of now, the channel has managed to conduct all its shoots without much delay while adhering to all safety protocols set by the government.

     

     

    From PT 19.30 hours, the original programming line-up starts, and it goes up to 22:00 hours. The weekends feature entertaining non-fiction content in a variety of genres like comedy, reality and game show formats. Nair highlighted that the team constantly listens to feedback from its viewers and tailors the content in accordance with their tastes and preferences. Zee Keralam actively creates campaigns for all its launches and concentrates aggressively on the sustenance phase as well. The current sponsors on the channel include Cutee, BSY, myG, Swayamvara Silks, spices and condiments brand Eastern, Herbal Baby Kajal, and more.

    Mplan Media CEO Parag Masteh revealed that post Onam there has been a good momentum, market sentiment is relatively positive in Kerala, ad-rates and inventory fill-in rates are almost at 70-80 per cent. He explained that all south states are a complete independent ecosystem all together, so the GEC space in each state is pretty huge by itself and therefore advertisers pay premium prices only. Said he, “Regional channels are performing better than national channels because you reach out to a precise audience and they are aware about the consumer behaviour pattern. When you do the national campaigns there is no primary trend that arises, it is just a large sample size but when you go through regional route, you are aware of how a Keralite will buy a product and what their brand affinity is.”

    Masteh further revealed that at the entry-level there are many big brands that advertise regionally. Pharmaceutical brands are actively advertising in the south market. There are a lot of brands that have their supply chain only in a particular state. He’s of the view that while these brands have big pockets, they will not put their money on big channels because the supply chain is limited.

    Kerala is the land of spices; hence, food brands would naturally come on board. Jewellery brands are not far behind. According to Masteh, the state is a very important market for jewellery majors like Abharan, Kalyan Jewellers, and Bheema, to name a few. Retail sector businesses are also active. Apart from this a lot of standalone individual companies also advertise. Also, a lot of national brands prefer to do hyper-local marketing. However, compared to last year ad rates have declined by 20-30 percent.

    One of the highlights of Zee Keralam is that all shows in the primetime slots are equally well received and have a steady viewership, said Nair. In fact, he shared, in the last week three shows have crossed the 4+ average weekly TVR – Chembarathi at 19:00 hours, Neeyum Njanum at 19:30 hours and Karthikadeepam at 20:30 HRS. The channel’s latest non-fiction launches like Mr. & Mrs. and Let’s Rock N Roll are fast garnering a steady family audience base.

    The channel’s immediate plan of action to engage audiences doesn’t end here – two more new shows are in the pipeline. The channel’s fiction shows feature prominent faces from the Malayalam industry like Vaishnavi Saikumar featuring in her debut serial Kaiyyethum Doorath and Swasika, one of the most popular artistes in the Malayalam industry, as the lead in upcoming serial Manampole Maangalyam. It has also roped in some of its popular SaReGaMaPa finalists like Aswin Vijayan and Swetha Ashok to sing the title songs of shows which further engages the audience who are familiar with the Zee Keralam family, while also pulling in new viewership. Nair added, “When shows reach peak points in their respective storylines, we feature a maha episode for uninterrupted viewership, which helps us build a larger audience base. We are looking forward to amping up our content line up with original content in all genres.”

    Zee Keralam’s current content strategy is fiction driven, the primary objective is to concentrate on fiction shows and take them to the next level in terms of the storyline as well as production quality. The channel aims to provide “extraordinary entertainment” that is both progressive and rooted in the Malayali culture.

    According to Nair, the channel currently has a good programming strategy, but it is looking to build it even further to make it an extraordinary one.

  • Colors bolsters its primetime with Namak Issk Ka

    Colors bolsters its primetime with Namak Issk Ka

    MUMBAI: She is known to win hearts with her thumkas and flamboyance. Wearing her bright lipstick and sheer exuberance, she sets the stage on fire with her impeccable dance moves. Meet Chamcham, the famous professional dancer or nachaniya.  But should being a nachaniya become a reason to be denied a happy and a fulfilling life?  Can a nachaniya not be accepted as a dulhaniya (bride) or bahu? Questioning this very outlook is Colors’ latest romantic drama, Namak Issk Ka.

    Based in the heartland of Bihar, Namak Issk Ka is the story of Chamcham, who is looked down upon for her profession, but in a twist of fate is married off into a reputable family in Mumbai. But as she tries to fend off prejudice, she sets out on a journey of finding her footing in the new family and eventually love. Produced by Gul Khan and co-produced by Dipti Kalwani, the show stars Shruti Sharma as Chamcham and the famous Bhojpuri actor Aditya Ojha as Yug Pratap Singh.

    Namak Issk Ka will air starting 7 December, Monday to Friday at 9 pm on Colors.

    Viacom 18 Hindi mass entertainment and kids TV network head Nina Elavia Jaipuria said, “In these challenging times, we at Colors have strived to keep our audience entertained with variety content and launched several shows across genres including Ishq Mein Marjawan, Pinjara, Bigg Boss and Molkki. To strengthen our prime time line-up further, we are adding another unconventional show to the mix with Namak Issk Ka.”

    Just like any other girl of her age, Chamcham dreams of a happy and reputable life. But she is always met with grimaces and criticism because she is a professional stage dancer, a nachaniya from a small town in Bihar. An orphan, Chamcham is a self-made person who becomes a dancer to make ends meet. Completely filmy, she loves emulating all the Bollywood heroines’ dance moves that translated into her becoming a dancer. If only her struggles were not enough, life throws another curve ball at her and in a twist of fate, she gets married to an affluent businessman Yug Pratap Singh. Even before she realises, Chamcham’s life takes a strange turn as her troubles magnify and a question looms- Kya Aap Ek Nachaniya Ko Karenge Bahu Ke Roop Mein Swikaar (Will you accept a dancing girl as a daughter-in-law)?

    Chief content officer for Hindi mass entertainment at Viacom18 Manisha Sharma said, “Namak Issk Ka is a refreshing and  heartwarming love story that touches upon various aspects. The character of Chamcham, a Nachaniya from Bihar, her journey to find love and respect, and the chemistry between two striking personalities is what sets the tone of the show and makes it stand out. We are excited to associate with Gul Khan who has done some incredible work in the past, and look forward to entertaining our viewers with exceptional storytelling.”

    Four Lions Films producer Gul Khan said, “Namak Issk Ka will give the viewers a glimpse into the life of a glamorous nachaniya (dancing girl) who earns her living by dancing at events and weddings. In a most endearing way, it showcases how under unforeseen circumstances she gets married to an affluent man and she struggles to find her footing in her new family, fight off the labels that people have given her owing to her profession and find love. We are happy to be associated with Colors, a channel that has always presented unique and entertaining concepts, and look forward to a great partnership.”  

    Co-Producer Dipti Kalwani added, “Through Chamcham’s story, we wish to highlight the fact that your individuality does not hinge on your profession. However unconventional it may be, everyone has a right to lead a reputable life and find acceptance in whatever role they take on in life, whether it is of a wife or a daughter-in-law.”